How to get kids to brush their teeth for longer than seven seconds

Most dentists recommend children (and adults) brush their teeth for two minutes, twice a day. Try telling that to a kid. Instead, many kids prefer to brush their teeth for a total of seven seconds before spitting out the barely-touched toothpaste and rushing back to their games.

If your child hasn’t quite mastered the fine art of brushing their teeth properly, here are the secrets from our Mum’s Grapevine community to keep them brushing for longer.

Behold … the secrets to successful teeth brushing

“Play ‘toothbrush tiggie’ in which you brush one another’s teeth before brushing your own.”– Jen

“Electric toothbrushes in our house…works a treat.” – Sally

“I used to sing, count and say the alphabet or read a short kids’ book – that way they are learning while brushing.” – Kay